About Sandymount Strand

Sandymount Strand is 2 km a sandy beach with a gradual slope, which makes the water too shallow for any real swimming. There is a large inlet of water that remains even at low tide and is known locally as "Cockle Lake". Although Sandymount Strand itself has little flora or fauna due to its positioning and coastal connection to Sean Moore Park and the lrishtown nature Reserve it is a nationally important area for migrating birds.. View available amenities and tide information at Beaches.ie.

Latest Annual Bathing Water Quality Report

Sandymount Strand is classified as having Poor Water Quality in 2023 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2020 to 2023 and consequently, a Bathing Prohibition will apply at the bathing water for the 2024 bathing season. Sandymount Strand had a Sufficient Water Quality rating in 2022, 2021 and 2020. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period and are assessed against stringent bacterial limits to protect bather health. Dublin City Council reported that the main sources of pollution are from contaminated streams which flow into the sea near the bathing water, misconnections, sewage discharges and faeces from dogs and birds. The Dublin Bay Bathing Water Taskforce was established in 2019 to help identify and fix pollution sources impacting on bathing water quality in Dublin Bay, including Sandymount Strand. Works to remove/upgrade urban waste water pressures discharging to the contributing catchment continues to be actioned by Uisce éireann, and further assessments and feasibility studies are being carried out. Programmes to identify and fix misconnections are also ongoing by the local authority. As dog fouling is a significant issue at Sandymount Strand, Dublin City Council have installed dog faeces bag dispensers at bathing water entrances and improved signage in relation to responsible dog ownership. Dublin City Council continue to raise awareness using educational posters, media and would like to drawn attention to the leave only paw prints campaign found here. Currently, Uisce éireann is undertaking an assessment of the impacts of a pumping station which can overflow onto the strand during periods of heavy rainfall. Dublin City Council in collaboration with pertinent Bathing Water Taskforce members also propose to undertake an integrated catchment management plan to identify where sustainable urban drainage could be implemented to reduce the volume of water in the storm water network. Further information on the actions being carried out to improve bathing water in the area can be found in the Dublin Bay Bathing Waters Report from June 2023, which is available at this link.